PMBA Curriculum & Course Descriptions
Download a printable PDF version of the curriculum.
| Required MBA Core | 33 credits |
|---|---|
| MBA Electives | 10 credits |
| Total Program | 43 credits |
Fall / Spring courses:
| Term | Class Number | Topic | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Summer (pre-program) | Varies | *See Summer Courses table for details. | 0-7 |
| Year 1 Fall | MBA 530 | MBA Foundations | 1 |
| Year 1 Fall | MBA 531 | Strategic Perspectives (Design Thinking) | 3 |
| Year 1 Fall | MBA 532 | Organizational Issues & Leadership | 3 |
| Year 1 Fall | MBA 333 | Communication Skills | 1 |
| Year 1 Spring | MBA 541 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| Year 1 Spring | MBA 558 | Business Law & Ethics | 3 |
| Year 1 Spring | MBA 552 | Strategic Human Resources | 1 |
| Year 2 Summer | Varies | *See Summer Courses table for details. | 0-7 |
| Year 2 Fall | MBA 546 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| Year 2 Fall | MBA 543 | Managing Corporate Finance | 3 |
| Year 2 Fall | MBA 563 | Information Technology | 1 |
| Year 2 Spring | MBA 559 | Issues in Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| Year 2 Spring | MBA 571 | Integrated Capstone | 4 |
| Year 3 Summer (post-program) | varies | *See Summer Courses table for details. | 0-7 |
| Total Credits | NA | NA | 43 |
*Summer courses (1 core + 3 electives):
| Term | Class Number | Topic | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer - 1st 7 weeks (May-June) | MBA 536 | Strategic Marketing (core) | 4 |
| Summer - 1st 7 weeks (May-June) | MBA 565 | New Value Creation (elective) | 4 |
| Summer - 2nd 7 weeks (July-August) | MBA 562 | Business Modeling (elective) | 3 |
| Summer - 2nd 7 weeks (July-August) | MBA 549 | Successful Project Management (elective) | 3 |
Tuition and Fees
For details about tuition and fees for courses, see Tuition and Fees.
Course Descriptions
MBA 530 – MBA FOUNDATIONS (1 credit) (FA) – Provides self-paced foundation or refresher in basic business topics. Includes introduction to the Professional MBA program, academic policies, resources, goal setting, and career guidance. (Pass/Fail.) PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 531 – STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES (DESIGN THINKING) (3 credits) (FA) – Examines the major forces transforming business that enable creativity and innovation, and that drive industry life cycle and evaluation. A novel business plan is developed using collaborative, structured innovation processes. Defines what constitutes a sustainable competitive strategy. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 532 – ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AND LEADERSHIP (3 credits) (FA) – Geared toward managers and the application of concepts to practical experience. Introduces team formation and group dynamics issues and strategies. Includes leadership, understanding people, ethical decision making and reasoning, negotiation and conflict, and change management. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 533 – COMMUNICATION SKILLS (1 credit) (FA) – A hands-on introduction to managerial communication including persuasive formal presentations, informal exchanges, elevator pitches, and meetings. Emphasis placed on team-oriented communication tactics. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 536 – STRATEGIC MARKETING (4 credits) (SU) – Focuses on design and implementation of marketing activities to execute a firm’s strategy in target markets. Special emphasis on evaluating opportunities for new products or services. Exploration of consumer economics topics including pricing, competitive forces and demand. Includes segment analysis, customer choice behavior, branding, marketing tactics, and the evaluation of market opportunities. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 541 – MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING (3 credits) (SP) – Analyzes the nature of costs and how costs can be used to manage and control the activities of firms. Particular emphasis is placed on the uses of accounting numbers to motivate employees and managers. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 543 – MANAGING CORPORATE FINANCE (3 credits) (FA) – Examines the three major decisions in Corporate Finance affecting value of the firm: Investment, Financing and Cash Distribution. Includes the methods used to measure corporate value and evaluate financial performance. Issues in each of the three decision areas are examined within the context of their impact on the valuation model and financial performance metrics. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 546 – STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (3 credits) (FA) – Analysis, formulation, and implementation of business and corporate strategies. Integrates prior functional area coursework. PREREQ: ADM/PROG, MBA 531.
MBA 549 – SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT (3 credits) (SU) – Introduces and provides experience in the front-end issues of project management such as team formation, communication strategies, conflict management, project constraints, risk analysis, or tools for project planning. Also explores use of the tools of project management including PERT/ Critical Path, resource utilization, project monitoring and tracking, and critical chain analysis. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 552 – STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCES (1 credit) (SP) – Guides conversations as students explore the various ways that managers can strategically partner with HR for successful human capital initiatives. Emphasis placed on strategic workforce recruitment, hiring, and retention. Topics include compensation and benefits administration, performance evaluation, and training. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 558 – BUSINESS LAW AND ETHICS (3 credits) (SP) – Introduces future managers to the major legal issues involved in the business environment. Covers legal reasoning and the legal system, agency and business associations, torts, contracts, intellectual property, employment law, sales, and product liability. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 559 – ISSUES IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (3 credits) (SP) – Introduces product and service movement within the firm and between the firm and its partners up and down the supply chain. Focus on logistics management, supplier relationships, and creating operational excellence within the firm. PREREQ: ADM/PROG or PERM/INST.
MBA 562 – BUSINESS MODELING (3 credits) (SU) – Advanced development and interpretation of optimization models using spreadsheets and computer simulation tools. Applications integrate finance, operations, and supply chain issues. PREREQ: ADM/ PROG, MBA 543, MBA559 or PERM/INST.
MBA 563 – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT (1 credit) (FA) – Guides conversations as students explore the various ways that Information Technology (IT) contributes to an organization’s competitive advantage. Discover how technology extends to organizational planning and goals, beyond infrastructure and cost savings. Weekly topics include IT governance, IT communication, evaluating IT investment, change management, cybersecurity, risk management, and incident response. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 565 – NEW VALUE CREATION (4 credits) (SU) – Focuses on customer centric value creation and the implementation of marketing concepts in growth‐oriented companies. Discussions and assignments will provide real world examples of how entrepreneurs (and intrapreneurs) are creating new markets and disrupting others. Students will understand the patterns of value creation, leverage the experience and skills of their team, avoid wasting time with ideas that won’t work, and design, test, and deliver products and services customers want. PREREQ: ADM/PROG.
MBA 571 – CAPSTONE INTEGRATION (4 credits) (SP) – Culminating project in which students develop or introduce a new product or service to an existing organization. Students complete an individual intrapreneurship project which incorporates content covered in prior courses and develops a business case with both strategic and tactical elements to bring new opportunities or efficiencies to the company. Special focus on change management for large-scale projects, including stakeholder communication. Includes close mentoring support from faculty and collaboration with classmates to enhance cross-learning. PREREQ: ADM/PROG, MBA 530, MBA 531, MBA 532, MBA 533, MBA 536, MBA 541, MBA 543, MBA 546, MBA 552, MBA 558, MBA 559, MBA 563.